and Rural Watch NEWS

Business Plan

Mission Statement
The overall driver for our work throughout this plan is to further develop NY NHWA into a credible and effective voluntary sector organisation that improves the quality of community life and helps to reduce crime across the City of York and the County of North Yorkshire by 2016.
In this way NY NHWA will be best placed to support the delivery of Neighbourhood Watch and Rural Watch on the ground and inspire good practice in all its activities. It will also be able to contribute to NHW activities at Regional and National level and represent grass-roots views so that their voice is heard.

Support and development of the grass roots of NHW

1. Support and develop the NY NHWA’s Watch schemes in keeping with their needs
2. Improve information flow within the NYPS/NY NHWA/PCC Partnership so that there is effective and accessible communication between Watch schemes and District levels. In this way scheme members will be well informed about issues that are relevant to t their work and at County level the Partnership will be informed about the common views and needs of scheme members.
3. Trial and launch the Neighbourhood Alert communication system that enables independent communication between the District Lead Coordinators/Area Coordinators and all Scheme members.
4. Provide, in partnership with the North Yorkshire Police Service, a suite of training and support services that is designed to meet the common needs of local Watch schemes and their members. This will include public liability insurance, practical information and materials, generic advice plus access to training and funding opportunities.
5. Promote the development of NY NHWA so that it can achieve its 3-year mission. This will include user-friendly tool-kits which cover all key areas of NHW activity, sharing good practice that broadens engagement with NHW (for example with younger people, older people, people from minority religious and ethnic groups and those living in high crime areas), and strengthening NY NHWA’s District structures.
6. Co-ordinate activities with NY NHWA’s key partners at County level, and promote effective co-ordination at Scheme, District and Police Service levels.
Key partners include but are not limited to: NY Police Service, Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs), neighbourhood policing, Trading Standards and a range of like-minded Voluntary and Community Organisations (VCOs).

Expand the inclusiveness of Neighbourhood Watch and Rural Watch
1. Develop a strategy for inclusiveness which draws on research and case studies to broaden public engagement with NHW and Rural Watch. This should enable existing NHW schemes to attract more diverse members and establish schemes in areas new to NHW and Rural Watch.
2. Implement an inclusive strategy in which NHW increases its coverage and becomes more representative of society as a whole. This would identify the real and perceived barriers to engagement and set out a realistic route whereby NHW involves more people from under-involved minorities and age-groups, such as the under-30s.
3. Promote inclusiveness via the website, to inspire new Schemes to register. This incorporates resonant messaging, relevant opportunities to become involved and easy actions which people can take.

Build the profile and influence of Neighbourhood Watch and Rural Watch
1. In conjunction with the North Yorkshire Police Service, increase the number of watch schemes and promote consistently the NY NHWA brand so that public perception of NHW and Rural Watch increasingly reflects the NY NHWA 3-year mission statement. Promotion tools include the NY NHWA website, media coverage and key events.
2. Work in partnership with Trading Standards, CSPs and VCOs which share common goals. In this way NY NHWA will build a broader movement for change, embracing partners who work to reduce crime as well as partners who are working to improve community life.
3. Represent the shared views of NHW and Rural Watch scheme members to the key Partnership leaders to encourage relevant changes in policy and practice at County and local levels.

Maintain a robust, effective and sustainable structure for NY NHWA
1. Strengthen NY NHWA’s volunteering structure to ensure a high level of communication within the Partnership.
2. Establish and embed District Area NHW Coordinators.
3. Adopt participative ways of working so that Watch scheme needs are embedded across all areas of activity.
4. Strengthen NY NHWA’s capability at regional and national levels by encouraging and enabling the very best people to volunteer as Officers of NY NHWA.
5. Ensure robust financial and risk management practices are in place.